Most of the Trump-Xi summit programming takes place today, including an arrival ceremony, a bilateral meeting and a state dinner.
Xi and his wife will be greeted at the White House this morning with 479 military personnel and military flyovers, Melania Trump’s office announced earlier this week. The U.S. Marine Band will play both countries’ national anthems, and Trump will conduct a military review, the first lady’s office said.
Later, Trump and Xi will have a bilateral meeting, where they’re expected to discuss topics like artificial intelligence and trade. Melania Trump and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan will visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Melania Trump’s office said.
In the evening, the Trumps will host Xi and Peng for a state dinner. NBC News previously reported that tech leaders including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman will attend the dinner. Former White House AI czar David Sacks will also attend.
This is Xi’s first state visit to the U.S. in more than a decade. His prior state visit was in 2015, during the Obama administration. While Xi has visited the U.S. since then, they were not considered state visits. Xi and Peng arrived yesterday and are expected to depart tomorrow.